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Auburn's Phillip Lolley to coach defense for CFL's Edmonton Eskimos

Phillip Lolley Chris Davis

Phillip Lolley, Auburn's director of external football relations, escorts cornerback Chris Davis (11) off the field following the senior's 109-yard return of a missed field goal knocked off No. 1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013, at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Phillip Lolley is ready to coach again, even if it means he has to leave the country.

Auburn's director of external football operations has accepted a job to coach defense for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League, Auburn confirmed in a story it posted on its website Thursday. The news was first reported by coachingsearch.com. The CFL organization has not yet confirmed the hiring.

"Auburn, I can't say enough about it," Lolley said recently, according to Auburn. "It's been a great ride. It's been wonderful. But I'm kind of antsy. A lot of things are bottled up inside me, and I've got to see some things. Auburn has been a wonderful place, but I miss coaching."

Lolley coached Auburn's defensive backs during two separate stints spanning seven seasons under Tommy Tuberville (2000-03) and Gene Chizik (2009-11). He's known by both high school and college coaches across Alabama for his 22-year stint as a high school coach. He most recently coached North Jackson in Stevenson, which won a state title in 1993, before leaving to become Auburn's strength coach in 1999.

Why the move to the CFL? Lolley has connections. Edmonton head coach Chris Jones was an assistant under Lolley at North Jackson in the early 1990s.

Jones will serve as the Eskimos' defensive coordinator in 2014, the organization's communications director said Wednesday, according to the Edmonton Journal. The organization is reportedly searching for a linebackers coach.